On Monday, June 4th, Stella was finally released from Koridallos women’s prisons because she reached the limit of 18month pretrial detention. However, restrictive conditions have been imposed on her (as in the case of Takis Masouras and Nina Karakatsani, who had stepped out of prison under cautionary measures, too) after the recent wave of new prosecutions against many of our comrades, in relation to the 250 CCF attacks.
7 thoughts on “Athens: Anarchist comrade Stella Antoniou released from prison”
Hi, comrades!
Where can we find more info about why was she released before the limit and haw does she feel after the hunger strike?
Hello, comrades!
Stella was arrested and remanded in custody on December 4th, 2010, and she was released from prison on June 4th, 2012. Therefore, she was only released after completing 18 months under pretrial incarceration (and not before this limit).
Further reading:
http://tameio.espivblogs.net/2010/12/04/about-the-4th-of-december-%E2%80%9Canti-terrorist%E2%80%9D-operation
http://actforfreedomnow.wordpress.com/?s=Stella+Antoniou
http://actforfreedomnow.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/text-by-stella-antoniou-arrested-on-04-12-2010-case-of-6-accused-of-involvement-in-an-unknown-terrorist-organization-and-of-committing-vague-terrorist-acts
-> Stella’s text during the hunger strike of K.Sakkas, G.Karagiannidis, A.Mitroussias http://actforfree.nostate.net/?p=8864
& announcement of imprisoned anarchists K.Sakkas, G.Karagiannidis, A.Mitroussias on their end of hunger strike http://actforfree.nostate.net/?p=9094%5D
Thanx for the info, and sorry for misunderstanding :)
Solidarity with all political prisoners!
Greetings from Istanbul!
(A)
-> LETTER FROM STELLA ANTONIOU, 2-5/2012
Last year we came across various irregularities from the side of the state against the political prisoners. Firstly, I am referring to the pretrial incarcerations of fighters for second and third time in a row. In other words, the judicial authorities made a distinction between the accusations of participation in a revolutionary organization and the charges regarding the organization’s actions, so this time they imposed different pretrial detentions [than the ones imposed already in the context of the CCF case] but all for the same case, for the same trial brief [case file]. In this way they extended the captivity of political prisoners using ways that even their own constitution does not recognize as legitimate procedures.
Besides that, we saw another new phenomenon which was applied for the first time. They set bail conditions to fighters who were released after the ending of the 18month temporary imprisonment, something that is not applicable when someone is released because of ‘the 18months’.
In April 2012 I and many other political prisoners were interrogated, accused for the R.O. Conspiracy Cells of Fire, for 250 actions which the specific organization has claimed responsibility for. Me, P.Masouras and K.Karakatsani were not re-imprisoned although the same thing went for all of us who refused our participation: the non-existence of any evidence which could ‘justify’ a new imprisonment. The conditions imposed on us have the following specificity compared to with the usual conditions imposed. These conditions are clearly because of our beliefs since we are forbidden to enter educational institutions and their surrounding yards although we are not accused of anything concerning university spaces. It is an attack against fighters, during which they informally ask us to make a ‘belief statement’.
Although they don’t recognize our political substance, they carry out a political attack aiming at ‘striking’ the collective procedures of discussion and co-formation which for so many years now we ‘shelter’ in the university spaces. This ban aims at our participation in the a/a movement. As political opponents of the system we are obliged to defend our presence in those spaces where for years now we formed, revolted, acted, disagreed and agreed. In those spaces where everything revolutionary and subversive was born.
Those spaces which the anarchist movement, used them as centres of struggles, insurrection and for the sharing of opinions and subversive ideas. The substance however of these conditions, is to attack all the above, regardless of where the movement will meet in order to co-form. It clear therefore that they are not attacking walls or some buildings, they are obviously attacking our procedures, organized solidarity and generally our action. What they are afraid of is the organization of the anarchist movement and this is what they are trying to criminalize, whether it is organized in university spaces, or the squares and streets, or the hills and mountains. Basically by legally insulting these conditions and going back into the educational institutions, is not a victory on its own if we ourselves do not fight the substance of this oppressive operation which gets bigger and spreads aggressively over the more radical part of society. It is not accidental that in this time we live in now, they forbid our entrance into those spaces. In time were we live the sneakiest form of dictatorship, the covered up one.
It is necessary therefore to create these movement relations and the suitable dynamic so we can defend situations which with the passing of time cease to be evident and vested; such as the defense of our political identity during the arrests. We are not at all far from the time when they will arrest someone from the anarchist movement and it will be considered daring and far out to admit to the persecutory and interrogatory authorities that they are an anarchist.
The forbidding of entering educational institutions, the forbidding of communication in any way and means with our co-accused, is the beginning of a new oppressive operation against the wider a/a movement. Already with the new anti-terrorist law we are threatened with heavy charges and prosecutions. I believe that this matter does not only concern those who have been imposed with the specific conditions but the whole of the anarchist movement. Since the attack is political, it should be answered politically.
PS. On 13-4/2012 I filed an application to lift these conditions and I will continue with other legal motions.
“This siege will toughen
In order to convince us
To accept a harmless slavery
However in full freedom”
—M.N.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES
Stella Antoniou
Koridallos women’s prisons, 2-5/2012
_
[it was her last letter from pretrial incarceration]
Translated by boubourAs/Act for freedom now!
Optional clarifications:
First, please take a look at this piece:
http://tameio.espivblogs.net/2010/12/04/about-the-4th-of-december-%E2%80%9Canti-terrorist%E2%80%9D-operation.
You’ll read, among others, that specifically Giorgos Karagiannidis, Alexandros Mitrousias, Kostas Sakkas and Stella Antoniou were arrested on the same day, which was December 4th, 2010.
On June 4th, 2012, Stella Antoniou was finally released from Koridallos women’s prisons, only because she reached the limit of 18month pretrial detention. Stella Antoniou, Nina Karakatsani, Takis Masouras (who are all released from prison under restrictive conditions) are three among other comrades that deny any participation in the R.O. CCF, yet are still prosecuted for the CCF case.
This also goes for comrades Giorgos Karagiannidis, Alexandros Mitroussias and Kostas Sakkas, who have been ordered to be remanded in custody again(!), deny any participation in the R.O. CCF, yet are still prosecuted for the CCF case.
Note that the situation of Nina Karakatsani and Takis Masouras (who are under cautionary measures, like Stella is now) is still quite different than Stella’s situation, because both Nina and Takis had been convicted in the first “Halandri case” trial; later on, the judicial authorities accepted their motion to be released and to serve suspended sentence (until the beginning of the first appeal trial of the “Halandri case”), and recently additional bail conditions were imposed on the two comrades after the interrogation in relation to 250 CCF incendiary and explosive actions…
What has pretty much happened is that many of our comrades were recently interrogated again(!) regarding new prosecutions in relation to 250 older CCF attacks, either if they had claimed participation in the R.O. CCF, or if they had denied any participation whatsoever in the same organization. That never mattered to the Greek authorities, because the regime just wanted to set up a new prosecution, so that anarchists could easily be held captive in Greek prisons.
So, all comrades that are accused in the same case (for the CCF case, regardless if they’re CCF members or not) have been interrogated for 250 older explosive and incendiary actions which the specific organization has claimed responsibility for.
The text in the above comment is Stella’s last letter from pretrial incarceration (from May 2nd, 2012: http://actforfree.nostate.net/?p=9864). The Greek original text is here: https://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1396349.
One must bear in mind that what we are really talking about here is fighters’ imprisonments BEFORE TRIAL, and not convictions and prison sentences —that’s another chapter; some of them have stood trial, while others are still awaiting trial(s).
In mail contact, we were called to explain the specific part of Stella’s letter:
“Firstly, I am referring to the pretrial incarcerations of fighters for second and third time in a row. In other words, the judicial authorities made a distinction between the accusations of participation in a revolutionary organization and the charges regarding the organization’s actions, so this time they imposed different pretrial detentions [than the ones imposed already in the context of the CCF case] but all for the same case, for the same trial brief [case file].”
According to the state laws, when one is prosecuted for ONE case, he or she allegedly gets to be remanded in custody only ONCE, and not again and again. But the authorities did just that. They invented new investigations and indictments, in order to separate the whole of the prosecution for the CCF case into smaller pieces and, thus, keep some of our comrades inside prisons imposing them more charges under the terror law.
What could also help you understand the “fresh new” absurdity of these recent prosecutions is this text http://actforfree.nostate.net/?p=8864, released by Stella back in April 11th, 2012 (Greek original here: https://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1392254), where she mentions that already Alexandros Mitroussias and Giorgos Karagiannidis were remanded in custody since their arrest (on December 4th, 2010); a SECOND pretrial detention began for them after their fabricated involvement in the CCF parcel-bomb actions (without ever being recognized by any witness); now, they have been ordered to be remanded in custody for the THIRD time, accused of the 250 actions claimed by the R.O. CCF. Kostas Sakkas, who was remanded in custody since their arrest (on December 4th, 2010), is now also remanded in custody accused for the 250 actions claimed by the R.O. CCF: and that’s the SECOND time of pretrial incarceration for Kostas Sakkas.
To sum it all up (either if the comrades have already stood trial, or not, since we only refer to their pretrial incarcerations here):
– “double” imprisonment before respective trials has been imposed against comrade Kostas Sakkas,
– “triple” imprisonment before respective trials has been imposed against comrades Alexandros Mitroussias and Giorgos Karagiannidis.
We’re hoping the comrades will continue to stay very strong, because it’s obvious that the State is trying to exterminate them and bury them in prison cells for decades. The trials that have been set so far are unfortunately endless. But not all of the comrades accused in this case will be “judged” along with the same CCF members each time, in each trial… The “defendants” will differ at respective courts.
Solidarity and complicity with the CCF members!
Solidarity and freedom to all prosecuted for the CCF case!